A Blue Box In Jerusalem
by DorianGray91
Summary: The Doctor and Maggie travel to the most mysterious and debated era of mankind... to visit Jesus of Nazareth. But what they find and what occurs is beyond what either of them expected. An exploration: a theory upon the Biggest Puzzle in History.
1. Chapter 1

This fiction is in no way intended to offend religious individuals, or to challenge their beliefs in Christianity, God, or Jesus Christ. I hope you like my portrayal of them.  
>I also hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed realising it, you atheists and agnostics too! If you have any interesting points or questions please review. But don't try to guess the story line and spoil it for everyone else. I dislike people who do that.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>1<strong>

**The Vatican Church**

The Doctor leaned softly against one magnificent, ancient stone pillar. The quiet, respectful murmurs of hundreds of people filled the enormous space, echoing off its cold surfaces and merging into a collective, tranquil song. Lazily he tilted his head back, glancing up at the pillar's dizzy ascent into the church's towering heights, its huge dome ceiling. Golden light played around the endless golden plaques and golden arches... Golden engravings wound upwards around the central black marble structure that sheltered the legendary altar.

Maggie stood quietly inspecting the centrepiece a few feet from him. Her green eyes were wide and piercing, one finger constantly twisting a wild curl of her long tawny hair. Her delicate jaw was slack, indicating her intense engagement. An indulgent smile tugged at the corners of the Doctor's mouth as he dropped his gaze to her again.  
>Unconsciously, she drifted closer towards the alter and its marvellous black frame, searching out every detail of gorgeous craftsmanship.<p>

He watched her fondly for a few minutes. Waves of strangers passed them by on their own tourist trips.

"I don't believe in God," she threw at him over her shoulder, "but I love how much they loved him. These artists. Have you ever seen such beautiful work?"  
>"Well, yes... Back home." he admitted, "But it's still pretty decent. St. Peter's Bascilia. 'Basilica Papale di San Pietro'. It even has a name that hurts your brain."<br>"It's a shame we can't go and see any of your cathedrals."

She gazed at him, one side of her full mouth pulled up in a sad smile.  
>His chest tightened but his hearts warmed. Idling over to her, he returned her expression and placed a familiar hand on her shoulder.<br>"I wouldn't have taken you there anyway, Mags," he joked, "your brain would have fallen out. It was ten times more beautiful than this."  
>There was a pensive pause. He retracted his hand and she leaned against his arm.<br>"Thank you for bringing me. I know observing art isn't your thing."  
>"You deserve a break." he smiled at her, "I owe you."<br>"That's the last time I go wading around in sewers for you. I've seen far too many."  
>He chuckled, and she brushed another wayward curl of tangled hair out of her face.<p>

He loved her face. He loved her reckless curls and her soft, slim hands and her quick mind. He loved her devoted compassion, her unwavering sense of justice, how she never complained about anything. He loved her free, creative thoughts and the story books she kept in the console room, and the odd clothes she picked out of ancient shop windows on a whim. He loved her airy smell and her taste in music.

Most of all, he loved her because she didn't show the slightest bit of interest in seducing him. There was nothing behind her forward friendliness but more forward friendliness; they relied on one another, they worked like a dream team, they were each others' company.  
>But his godlike status didn't make her swoon. His boundless energy didn't sweep her off her feet, his looks had nothing to do with her attachment.<p>

Call it what he would, she was his best friend. His very best friend.  
>He talked to her about Rose and River Song when they sat on his bunkbeds watching her choice of films. He had told her about the Time War - not your usual quick briefing, but in detail... he had allowed himself to <em>feel <em>when he described his history to her.  
>She was a mystery. She was just a human, but she fitted seamlessly into his world, as apparently did he into her's. She had set up an art room in the TARDIS and praised him when he took the time to paint something. She made him take her to Laser Quest once a month. She encouraged him to eat vegetables.<p>

She hoisted her backpack more comfortably onto her shoulders and grinned up at him.  
>"So, where are we eating?"<p>

Ninety minutes later, as they were twirling pasta around their forks in Piacere Molise, Maggie looked up at him with a glint in her eyes that only ever meant one thing: dangerous, stupid, brilliant adventure.  
>"So you've been around nearly a thousand years, right."<br>"Thank you for reminding me."  
>"Have you ever met him? Or a version of him? Or someone who knew him?"<br>"Who?" he grinned, relishing her games. She loved to keep him guessing.  
>"<em>God<em>." she breathed intensely.  
>"I've met what some people would call the Devil. Never really gone for God. He's not the kind of guy who hangs around for lone space travellers."<br>"How the fudge did you manage to meet the Devil?"  
>The Doctor smiled a crooked, knowing smile, though his eyes didn't reflect it.<br>"It was trapped, on an impossible planet. Orbiting a black hole. I met the body, buried twenty miles under - the mind escaped up to the surface and possessed somebody. Would have found its way back to Earth, if..." he faltered, and then concentrated on his spaghetti.

"Was she brave?" Maggie murmured.  
>He glanced back up at her, and suddenly beamed.<br>"She was magnificent."  
>"What do you think she would say now, if she saw you with your new face?"<br>"She'd say I was too young. Too clownish. She'd be right."  
>"Well thank god she's got your old face all to herself, then." she said warmly, "I think she's the luckiest of your companions, you know. She deserves it too."<br>"So do you." he muttered. His face had lit up in an embarrassed grin, eyes gently praising her for saying everything he had needed to hear, "Nobody's ever said - that before."

Dismissing his approval, she leaned in excitedly again.  
>"So. God. What do you reckon?"<br>"Pfff, I don't know. If he does exist it's probably on another plane or dimension. Not easy to reach. And I doubt he'd make personal appointments."  
>"I always thought if he did exist he wouldn't be at all human. Perhaps you couldn't even see him. Maybe he's a gigantic cosmic dust cloud."<br>"I like your thinking." he drummed his fingers on the tabletop for a moment, then stared very hard at his fork.  
>He took a breath, breathed it out again, and then tried a second time.<br>"But... the easiest way of finding out is on this planet anyway."

Maggie's eyes became saucepans.  
>"You're not suggesting-"<br>"No, no, not if you think it's _wrong_ to. I mean, it's just a thought. A very... very _interesting_ thought."  
>She stared at him disbelievingly.<br>"You're going to do it anyway. You're going to visit Jesus Christ. You're insane."  
>"You love it."<br>"Yes, I _really_ do, we should go right away."

The TARDIS rocked and groaned and Maggie and the Doctor fell and gambolled about, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"Do you think it's all true, then? Do you think it all really happened?" she called over the sound of the time rotor.  
>"Oh, come on Mags, you're more clever than that!" he hollered back, "People have been arguing for centuries what should and shouldn't be put in the Bible. They've added and debated and taken away 'til history wouldn't recognise itself. There may be a hundred made up stories, and a hundred absent truths! But we'll find out, eh?"<br>"Sure. My dinner isn't having the best time, can't you stabilise her?"  
>"She's wading through thousands of years of religious conflict and mystery, give her a break!"<br>"Sorry."  
>"Push the red hyper-ecstramulation node!"<p>

They swept on, into the near untouched tunnel of time, each second dashing past a hundred years or so.

No adventure, before or after, had ever been - or was to be - quite like this one.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

**A Bumpy Ride**

Maggie screamed as she went tumbling head over heels across the TARDIS' deck - the time rotor screeched, cables fizzed, the console was alight with sparks.  
>"WHAT'S GOING ON?" she yelled from the floor, as the ship lurched and rolled and span sickeningly.<br>"SHE CAN'T TAKE IT! THERE'S TOO MUCH FOCUSED ENERGY ON THIS SPOT!"  
>"WHAT?"<br>"BILLIONS OF HUMAN MINDS - over THOUSANDS of years! All zoned in on this one short period of HISTORY!" his body went zooming past her, and he was just saved by clinging to the cream leather chair before he fell off the deck entirely, "It creates thick atmosphere, DANGEROUS atmosphere, a LOT of PSYCHATECTAIN PARTICLES! She's not TAKING IT VERY WELL! YOU NEED TO PULL THAT BLACK LEVER!"  
>She did, and the ship stabilised a little.<p>

The Doctor got up and dusted himself off, checking his watch.  
>"We're still in the BC era. By minutes."<br>"What?"  
>"Before Christ. Just before. We must be somewhere near Bethlehem right now. Heading straight for him-"<p>

He was rudely interrupted by an explosion cascading from the console, a shower of sparks, and then almost total darkness. They plummeted again, clawing at foot and handholds as the TARDIS bucked and roared in frustration.  
>"We're falling towards earth!"<p>

The central rotor began to glow brilliant white, illuminating the whole interior. It hurt Maggie's eyes, and grew, and burned through everything. Suddenly they were swimming in heavenly, agonising radiance.  
>The Doctor flung himself at the door and swung it open, glaring out into the night around the blinding energy that consumed the very walls, like it was swallowing the TARDIS whole.<br>"We're too high up to jump! But not for long!" he called to her, "The whole ship is glowing on the outside too! It's burning up!"  
>He slammed the door and dashed to the console, furiously pressing buttons and ignoring the bangs and hisses of the seething machine.<br>"We need - to get - her - out of here! MAGGIE! Press that!"  
>They worked in a fury, feeling their way while shielding their eyes from the infuriating blaze. Levers, handles, buttons, knobs, letters, spinney things, taps, more buttons. Slowly but surely, the TARDIS popped instead of banged, and whined instead of roared.<br>"We're getting there. She'll be able to zap us away in a sec."

Sure enough, there was a sudden jerk and they were back in the vortex, wading painfully but nontheless moving.  
>The Doctor patted his machine, took out a handkerchief from his inner pocket and mopped his brow, panting. He glanced over at Maggie in the now stable light of the time rotor's glow, and cracked a coy smile, eyes quietly triumphant. She ran to embrace him with relief, standing on tip toe to throw her arms around his neck.<br>"Oh, Doctor! Your bow tie." she laughed at its squashed, askew appearance, and began to fix it for him, "You take care of the spacey wacey things. I'll take care of your clothes from now on. You look a mess."  
>"So do you! But blimey, that was close."<p>

He spoke too soon. Abruptly the ship threw another tantrum and both Time Lord and human were lifted bodily off the deck and landed ungainly on their backsides, yelling out in surprise and pain. Maggie uttered a few oaths as the Doctor scrambled once again to the console. The vortex was gone, which meant they were in another year of Jesus' life. Probably also another rather important one.  
>"She's really not happy! - she's kicking up a fuss in the atmosphere. There'll be a heck of a lot of noise for whoever's just below us, I hope they blame it on the weather!"<br>"What the _heck _is happening?" she asked again, feeling like they were getting nowhere with this, and already of a mind to turn around and go back.

He ignored her scowl and concentrated on his screen, reading wave after wave of nonsensical shapes and tapping and pulling controls in accordance with whatever it was he was seeing.  
>"Imagine we're a stone, and someone has thrown us into some waves and we're doing that thing they call skimming-"<br>"We're skimming along the waves of Jesus' life? What, because it's so turbulent?"  
>"If you'd like to think of it like that, yes. It's actually far more complicated. But as long as you feel like you know where we are!"<br>"Fine!"  
>"Look, we're back in the vortex again. I think we'll be alright now." he breathed, "Keep a hold of the controls for me while I go get our gear!"<p>

He dashed off up the stairs, towards his impossible maze of rooms and store cupboards. Maggie grinned to herself as she recalled the last time they had gone to a fancy dress party and spent hours just among those rooms, trying to decide which alien or time period they preferred, hat or no hat, and what sort? Should props be mixed with costumes? Was it safe to wear a semi-active Cyberman helmet?  
>She wondered what on earth could possibly be up there that they would need for this trip. Gold, frankincense and myrhh, probably.<p>

"Here! Put these on."  
>She turned to see the Doctor holding what looked like a couple of tailored bedsheets, some tunics, round felt caps and two pairs of sandals.<br>"Why are we dressing up for this one?" she asked sulkily, fingering her oversized vintage jumper protectively.  
>"Do you <em>want <em>to be stoned for looking like a freak?"  
>Before she could reply, he leapt at the console and spun the taps, pulled up the lever, and let out a triumphant 'hah!'.<br>"We've landed!" he mouthed ecstatically, eyes alight with mischief, "Come along, Campbell! We need to get us a tan!"  
>"You're kidding! Since when did we need to start blending in so much?"<br>"Since we knew an actual human we want to meet, rather than an alien!" he shouted jovially, skipping up the steps, "And since it was mightily important that we _don't draw unwanted attention to ourselves_! We're dealing with the most delicate part of human history, we can't afford to mess it up!"

She sighed, grabbed her stupid new clothes, and followed him to the tanning room. She didn't stop to ask why it had a snooker table in it.


	3. Chapter 3

Maggie turned her head from side to side, scrutinising her new skin colour in the mirror.  
>"Did you hear that?" the Doctor's voice wafted up from the main console room.<br>"Hear what?"  
>"There's a KNOCK! At the DOOR!" he yelled gleefully, "Should I answer? It might even be him!"<br>"Wait there, for god's sakes!"  
>"NO! We don't use that word in vain any more, Miss Cambell. Too much offense caused, belieeeve me!"<br>"Gah - for - Pete's sakes!" she scrambled down the corridor and descended the steps, scowling, "If I don't have fun on this trip you and I aren't going to be on good terms. Not for a long time. This whole religion thing is old already."  
>"Old, yes. As old as Time." he retorted, "Now check who's outside, and don't let them see in here! Who knows where we've landed."<p>

Knotting her bedsheet mantle around one shoulder, and adjusting her headress more firmly over her plaited hair (the Doctor had really gone to town on his research), she tweaked the door open a tiny crack, and then poked her head out warily.  
>They were in a desert. A great big bloody huge desert that went on forever and ever.<p>

"Hello?"

Something blurred rushed at her and she screamed aloud.  
>"What? What is it?" the Doctor jumped to attention behind her.<br>The figure that had attacked Maggie slumped to the floor, one hand still scraping at the blue wood.  
>"No!" it screeched, fairly frothing at the mouth, "Away from me, Satan!"<p>

"It's a man." the Doctor observed, following her outside as they stood looking down upon the pitiable, half-starved creature.  
>The strange male twitched and kicked and moaned.<br>"It is written - Worship - the Lord, your God... and - _serve him - only_!"  
>"He's possessed." Maggie cried from behind her hands, eyes wide and tearful, "Poor, poor thing - what's happening to him?"<br>"He's fighting it off, look. Look at him."  
>The man writhed where he lay, but his moans were quieter.<p>

The Doctor grasped him by both shoulders and shook him gently.  
>"Let go of him, whatever you are, understand? Leave him, now!" he growled, "Fight, come on! Fight it out!"<br>The man opened his eyes and stared straight back at him, his body relaxing as he exhaled.  
>"I do not need you - to tell me, that I should reject Satan." he answered slowly, "I have my own strength."<br>He inhaled deeply, and then sighed out again, eyelids closing over once more.  
>A wind circled around them like an angry blast from a beast, and suddenly everything was still, including the stranger.<p>

"Help me get him up! He needs water." the Doctor leaned down to take one of the man's arms.  
>Maggie obeyed, and together they began to drag him into the TARDIS.<br>The next thing Maggie registered was that she was on the floor, and that the Doctor was yelling at her.  
>"What is it? What's the matter?"<br>"Um. I don't know. Nothing." she struggled to her feet again, bewildered.  
>He looked at her suspiciously.<br>"Did you feel anything just then? Anything unusual?"  
>"No. I was just - here."<br>"Hm. Maybe you've inhaled too much tanning spray. Come along, then."

They lay him down as soon as they got through the doors.  
>"Is he conscious?"<br>"Hopefully not. Get him some water. And something to eat - nothing modern."  
>Maggie tore up the steps to the corridor, and from there ran to the kitchen-pantry.<br>She froze as she was reaching for the chicken legs and grapes in the fridge. A shiver ran up and down her spine, one, two, three times.  
>She could feel something - closing in on her. With invisible fingers it caressed her hair, with a hidden smile kissed her cheek.<br>She rushed to the nearest room with a mirror and stared into it, horror rising like bile in her throat. Her own eyes stared back at her, but - not her eyes - something was there, gazing within her gaze. Even as she stood still and listened to the sound of her racing heart, she could sense it clinging child-like to the back of her mind, settling in... and then -

The Doctor didn't look up as Maggie re-entered the room, preoccupied with reviving their guest who was barely propped up. He took water and then food from her hands, throwing it down the man's throat as quickly as the fellow could manage. He was just conscious.  
>"Hullo, you." he smiled down at him condescendingly, "Can you tell me your name?"<br>The man gulped down liquid and sustenance greedily, bent singly on survival.  
>"Name, please. It's rude to ignore your hosts." he joked.<br>The stranger said something inaudible.  
>"Sorry?"<br>Maggie came closer just in time to hear the words slip from his cracked lips.

"_Jesus... Nazareth._"

She started.  
><em>Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.<em>

"Doctor." she gasped, "It's him. We've picked him up right at the end of his forty days and nights."  
>"Sorry?"<br>"You know! Fasting in the desert, fighting the devil - this is it! This is him."  
>"Yes, I know it's <em>him<em>, he said so. And just _look_ at him!" he glanced down at the scraggly beard and tangled mane of dark hair, the torn clothes and scratched, bruised limbs, "Isn't he magnificent?"  
>"I can't believe it." she paced back and forth, barely able to look at the vulnerable figure, "This is real? <em>This<em> is Jesus? And he was really fighting off the - that?... That's real too?"  
>"He was fighting something. Could have been demonic."<br>"So what do we do now? We can't just leave him here."  
>"He said Nazareth."<br>"I suppose he did."

The Doctor stood up, closed the blue doors steady behind them, and zipped up to the console.  
>"So... Jesus. Let's get you back to Nazareth."<p> 


End file.
